While it remains the world’s most powerful country in terms of economy and military, it apparently is losing or waning its long-standing socio-economic-political influence or presence across the world in recent years.

We have been the obedient servants of Gilgamesh for 5000 years. We have cut a path of destruction, ignored the spreading deserts, disregarded the disappearing animals, the foul air and water, the warming planet. We have destroyed most of the earth's natural forest cover, and we pretend we can live without it. The story goes that Gilgamesh defeated the forest protectors and the forces of civilization won the battle for the forest, but it is not true.

Brexit is turning to a nightmare, now threatening to bring down yet another British Prime Minister. There is no sign of light yet in the dark tunnel. The British have made a mess of the issue, the House of Commons once a dazzling, sparkling ground of the greats of the empire, is now like a school with quarrelling kids. The lingering desire of hanging on to memory and nothing much else, the parliamentarians, now referred to as lawmakers, can’t even produce a sensible law. To me, like many others of my generation, the spectacle is terribly sad, the worst thing that can happen to any nation is not to be able to take any positive decision.

So far, members of the nuclear club have accepted that such weapons are a symbol of international status as well as defence against nuclear blackmail but not a weapon of utility. An American writer has described the possession of nuclear arsenals as achieving mutual balance of terror. In short, possession of such arms has become an invaluable defence so long as a country doesn't use it.

Alarm bells actually starting ringing with construction activities in Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Gwadar on the Makran Coast in Pakistan. The Chinese have since extended their reach to a base in the Red Sea.